Mark SPITZ - Olympic Swimming | United States of America Mark SPITZ Olympic Games 1968 , 1972 Mark Spitz is one of the greatest swimmers of all time. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Games. Prediction backfires American Mark Spitz had brashly predicted that he would win six gold medals at the 1968 Mexico City Games. Although he did take home two gold medals from the relays, he performed well below expectations in his individual races. He was third in the 100m freestyle, second in the 100m butterfly and last in the final of the 200m butterfly. Seven golds At the 1972 Munich Games, Spitz was determined to make up for his below-par performances four years earlier. He did not disappoint. Over a period of eight days, Mark Spitz entered seven events, won all seven and set a world record in every one. Long-lasting record Mark Spitz held the record for most gold medals won at a single Olympic Games for 36 years. It was finally broken by American phenomenon Michael Phelps who won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games.

The Mark Spitz Web Page Mark Spitz By Keith Bottum and Aaron Bass For our Olympic hero, we picked Mark Spitz. Mark Spitz was possibly one of the best swimmers there every was. Even as a child , he won many medals, however the crown point of his career was when he won seven gold medals in the 1972 Olympics. Mark competed in the 1968 Olympics. Prior to the Olympics, he had boasted that he would be able to win six gold medals! His teammates always thought that he was a little cocky, and didn't appreciated his boasting. However, he really didn't win very much. The two gold medals he got were for team competitions. By himself, he only won two medals, neither of them gold medals. In the one-hundred meter butterfly he won a silver medal. In the one-hundred meter free-style, he won a bronze. In the two-hundred meter free-style he came in last! At eighteen years old, Mark went to Indiana University. He trained there all four years of college. Most of the other swimmers thought that he was a bragger and also a jerk.

He never got along very well with his teammates, and whenever he walked out to the pool, he would boast and put the rest of the team down. He did this because he considered himself better then all of them. As a result, they never really liked him, and weren't sympathetic if he lost. However, after the 1968 Olympic Games, he started behaving better, and his teammates grew to like him a lot. This may have helped him win the 1972 Olympics. Then, at age twenty-two, in 1972, he made history. At the Olympics, he won seven gold medals and broke another seven world records. He won the one-hundred meter butterfly, the two-hundred meter butterfly, the one-hundred meter free-style, the two-hundred free-style, the four-hundred meter free-style, the eight-hundred meter free-style, and the four-hundred meter medley relay. Then, however, his triumph went sour. Just a few hours after his last race ended, some Arab terrorists came and killed twelve Jews. Mark Spitz, being Jewish, was hastily flown out of Germany, where the Olympic Games were, back to the United States. Luckily, he made it back okay.

Mark Spitz Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com Medals: 9 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze (11 Total) Biography After five gold medals at the 1967 Pan American Games, great things were expected of Mark Spitz at the 1968 Olympics, but he surprisingly failed to win an individual event. Before the 1972 Olympics, however, Spitz became undoubtedly the world's greatest swimmer, and considered by many the greatest ever. In 1971 he became the first swimmer to win four individual AAU titles at one meet, setting three world records in the process. The next week, at a meet in East Germany, he won all four events again, this time breaking all four world records. The performance made him an overwhelming choice for the 1971 Sullivan Award. At the 1972 Olympics, Spitz set an Olympic record by winning seven gold medals, all of them in world-record time, the seven gold medals broken only in 2008 by [Michael Phelps]. Overall, he won 24 AAU championships, eight NCAA titles (while at Indiana University), and set 32 world records.

After the 1972 Olympics he capitalized on his fame through various commercial interests, and invested heavily in California real estate. He returned to competition in 1991 with the aim of making the Olympic team the following year but, as he was over 40 years of age, it was a forlorn hope and an unfortunate end to a career of unrivaled achievements. Results Mark Spitz | Olympics Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Spitz was born in Modesto, California, the first of three children [3] of Arnold and Lenore (Smith) Spitz. His family is Jewish. [4] When he was two years old, Spitz's family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he swam at Waikiki Beach every day. "You should have seen that little boy dash into the ocean. He'd run like he was trying to commit suicide." Lenore Spitz told a reporter for Time (April 12, 1968). [3] At age six his family returned to Sacramento, California, and he began to compete at his local swim club.

At age nine, he was training at Arden Hills Swim Club in Sacramento with swimming coach Sherm Chavoor, who mentored seven Olympic medal winners including Spitz. Before he was 10, Spitz held 17 national age-group records, and one world record. At 14 his family moved to Santa Clara so Spitz could train with George F. Haines of the Santa Clara Swim Club. From 1964 to 1968 Mark trained with Haines at SCSC and Santa Clara High School. During his four years there, Mark held national high school records in every stroke and in every distance. It was a remarkable and unprecedented achievement. In 1966 at age 16 he won the 100 meter butterfly at the National AAU Championships, the first of his 24 AAU titles. The following year Mark set his first world record at a small California meet in the 400 meter freestyle with a time of 4:10.60, and emerged on the world swimming stage. [5] Swimming career Edit The 1965 Maccabiah Games was his first international competition.

At age 15 in Tel Aviv, Spitz, won four gold medals and was named the most outstanding athlete. [3] He returned to Israel in 1969 following the Mexico Olympics to again compete in the Maccabiah Games. This time he won six gold medals. [6] He was again named outstanding athlete of the Games. [7] In 1985 Spitz lit a torch to open the Maccabiah Games. [8] In 2005 he was a member of the U.S. delegation at the 17th Maccabiah Games. He spoke at the JCC Maccabiah Games Opening Ceremonies, which was held in Richmond, Virginia. The Weinstein JCC in Richmond was one of the Host JCC's for the 2005 games with over 1,000 teenagers participating in various sports, including swimming. Pan American Games In 1967 he won five gold medals at the Pan American Games, thereby setting a record that lasted until 2007 when Brazilian swimmer, Thiago Pereira, won six golds at the XV Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro.

1968 Olympics Edit Holder of ten world records already, Spitz predicted brashly he would win six golds at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. However, he won only two team golds: the 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay in 3:31:70, and the 4 × 200 meter freestyle relay in 7:52:33. In addition, Spitz finished second in the 100m butterfly in 00:56:40. In this event he was beaten by fellow American Doug Russell by a half second, despite holding the world record and having beaten Russell the previous ten times they had swum against each other that year. [9] Russell did briefly match Spitz's world record in late August 1967, holding the world record equally with Spitz for five days before Spitz regained it solely on October 2, 1967. As a result of being beaten by Russell, Spitz did not get to swim in the 4 × 100 meter medley relay, which gave Russell his second gold medal and the USA team another World Record swim.

College training Edit Disappointed in his 1968 Olympic performance, Spitz decided in January 1969 to swim for the Indiana University Hoosiers [2] to train with legendary coach, Doc Counsilman, [10] who was also his coach in Mexico City. He called choosing Indiana and Counsilman "the biggest decision of my life (and) the best." While at Indiana, Spitz won eight individual NCAA titles. In 1971 he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. Spitz also set a number of world records during the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials held in Chicago's Portage Park in 1972. He was nicknamed "Mark the Shark" by his teammates. 1972 Olympics Edit At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich (West Germany), Spitz was back to maintain his bid for the six gold medals. He did even more, winning seven Olympic gold medals.

Further, Spitz set a new world record in each of the seven events (the 100 m freestyle [00:51:22], 200 m freestyle [01:52:78], 100 m butterfly [00:54:27], 200 m butterfly [02:00:70], 4 × 100 m freestyle relay [03:26:42], 4 x 200 m freestyle relay [07:35:78] and the 4 × 100 m medley relay [03:48:16]). Originally Spitz was reluctant to swim the 100m freestyle fearing a less than gold medal finish. Minutes before the race he confessed on the pool deck to ABC's Donna de Varona, "I know I say I don't want to swim before every event but this time I'm serious. If I swim six and win six, I'll be a hero. If I swim seven and win six, I'll be a failure." Spitz won by half a stroke in a world-record 51.22.

[11] Spitz is one of five Olympians to win nine or more career gold medals: Larisa Latynina , Paavo Nurmi and Carl Lewis also have nine;> only swimmer Michael Phelps has won more with 18. [12] Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics was not surpassed until Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics . Retirement Edit Following the Munich Olympics, even though he was still only 22, Spitz retired from competition. In 1999 Spitz ranked #33 on ESPN SportsCentury 50 Greatest Athletes, the only aquatic athlete to make the list. Spitz briefly came out of retirement in 1992 to compete for a place on the U.S. Swimming Team at the Barcelona Games at the age of 41. He was two seconds slower than the requisite qualifying time at the Olympic trials. Hall of Fame Edit After his retirement from swimming at age 22, he was managed by the William Morris Agency, which tried to get him into show business while his name was still familiar due to his athletic success.

A poster featuring Spitz wearing his swimsuit and seven gold medals made him the hottest pin-up since Betty Grable. [21] In 1973–74, Spitz appeared on TV's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. On the TV drama Emergency!, he portrayed Pete Barlow, who accidentally shoots his wife (played by Spitz's wife, Suzy). He also appeared briefly on the The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast of then-Governor of California Ronald Reagan in September 1973. Spitz went to work for ABC Sports in 1976 and worked on many sports presentations, including coverage of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. [22] In 1985 he appeared as a TV announcer in Challenge of a Lifetime. He continued as a broadcaster for some time, but within a few years, he was hardly seen as a public figure [21] except perhaps as a commentator for swimming events like the 2004 Summer Olympics . Instead Spitz focused on his real estate company in Beverly Hills and hobbies such as sailing.

[21] Critical praise Edit In 2006 he received critical praise for his narration of Freedom's Fury, a Hungarian documentary about the Olympic water polo team's famous Blood in the Water match against Russia during the Revolution of 1956—considered the most famous match in water polo history. The film was executive produced by Quentin Tarantino and Lucy Liu, and made its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival. Commercials Edit He appeared in an ad for the California Milk Advisory Board. One of his print advertisements featured the caption "I always drink it-is something I like to do. I want to be loved by the mothers." In 1974 he was in a number of Schick razors commercials. [23] In 1998 he appeared with Evel Knievel in a TV commercial for PlayStation. In 2004 he appeared in a TV commercial for Sprint PCS. [24] Then in November 2007, Spitz made a cameo appearance on Amanda Beard's first television commercial (for GoDaddy) featuring her own seven Olympic medals (won between 1996–2004). The ad was entitled "Shock".

[25] Also, in 2007 he appeared in the infomercial for the "Orbitrek Elite" fitness workout. [26] He appeared in a commercial for Lear Capital, a gold investment company. (at 8:13 and 15:42 on a video at dated February 12, 2011, but the commercial was edited out of the version labeled "Episode 1: Will Massive Amount [sic] Of Oil Be Discovered In Israel?") In 2012 Spitz appeared in a commercial for Ageless Male, a testosterone supplement. Personal life Edit When Spitz returned from the Olympics, he began dating Suzy Weiner, a UCLA theater student and part-time model, who also was the daughter of one of his father's business acquaintances. [21] [27] Less than a year after the Munich Olympics, they were married on May 6, 1973, [26] in a traditional Jewish service at the Beverly Hills Hotel. [23] They have two sons, Matthew (born October 1981) and Justin (born September 1991).

Justin currently is a sophomore at Stanford University, and is on the swim team. [22] [28] [29] Education Edit From 1964 to 1968 Spitz attended Santa Clara High School. After graduating he went on to Indiana University. [21] At Indiana University from 1968–72, he was a pre-dental student and member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. TIME magazine asked him if he wanted to return to dental school after the Olympics. "I always wanted to be a dentist from the time I was in high school, and I was accepted to dental school in the spring of 1972. I was planning to go, but after the Olympics there were other opportunities. I did some television and speaking engagements, and things just went from there." [30] Post-swimming career Edit In 1972, soon after his return to the US, Spitz landed several lucrative corporate endorsement contracts. He earned about $7 million in a two-year period. [31] However, as the memory of his feat receded, so did his endorsement and promotional deals. As his endorsements faded he started a successful real-estate company in Beverly Hills.

He bought a Ferrari and says he made more than $1 million. "A million dollars in 1972 would be equivalent to more than $10 million today," Spitz said. "I did very well, thank you very much." [32] "I would say I was a pioneer. There wasn't anyone who'd gone to the Olympics before me who capitalized the same way on opportunity. It depends on timing, it depends on hype, it depends on the economy, and most importantly, it depends on looks. I mean, I've never seen a magazine of uglies. That's our society. I'm not saying it's right. That's just the facts." [33] Per his official website, Spitz is self-employed as a corporate spokesperson and motivational speaker. However, Sports Yahoo! lists his occupation as a stock broker and motivational speaker. [34] According to a recent interview "Spitz became a stockbroker in 2002 and has since moved into private equity. He is now also dabbling in the "water business," as he calls it, and is in negotiations to build a water-bottling facility on aquifer-rich land that he and a business partner own.

[35] He has pursued various entrepreneurial projects with former NBA player Rick Barry. He travels the world delivering about 25 lectures a year. His biography, The Extraordinary Life of An Olympic Champion by Richard J. Foster was released in July 2008. [36] In July 2012 he endorsed Istanbul's bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. [37] Hobbies His hobbies include sailing, skiing and collecting art. [38] He has been involved in blue water ocean racing (sailing) and in the summer of 1981 competed in his third Trans-Pac Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Hawaii, finishing third. [22] Iconic moustache during Olympics Edit In an era when other swimmers, male and female, were shaving body hair, he swam with a moustache. When asked why he initially grew one he stated "I grew the moustache because a coach in college said I couldn't grow one." [30] Spitz said he originally grew the moustache as a form of rebellion against the clean-cut look imposed on him in college. “It took a long time to grow,” he said.

[39] It took four months to grow, but Spitz was proud of it, he decided the moustache was a "good-luck piece." [40] Mark Spitz is quoted as saying, "When I went to the Olympics, I had every intention of shaving the moustache off, but I realized I was getting so many comments about it—and everybody was talking about it—that I decided to keep it. I had some fun with a Russian coach who asked me if my moustache slowed me down. I said, 'No, as a matter of fact, it deflects water away from my mouth, allows my rear end to rise and make me bullet-shaped in the water, and that's what had allowed me to swim so great.' He's translating as fast as he can for the other coaches, and the following year every Russian male swimmer had a moustache." [41] According to a Sports Illustrated article, on February 14, 1988, after talking about shaving off his moustache for a year, he finally did.

"He looked great with it, don't get me wrong," explained his wife Suzy, "but he looks so handsome without it." [42] When he was asked why he shaved it off he responded "well, one, I'm not swimming anymore; two, it started to turn gray; and three, my wife had never seen me, nor my family, without the moustache... I'm happy [without it]." [43] He also commented on his moustache in a live, in-studio interview with KCRA host Mike TeSelle on June 14, 2008, Spitz commented that he no longer maintains his iconic moustache because it had become "too gray." Health issues Edit After retirement, Spitz was diagnosed with acid reflux disease, a condition from which his physician thinks he suffered throughout his career. [44] "During my Olympic training, I attributed the symptoms [of acid reflux] to an overexposure to chlorine and eating too soon before and after swimming," says Spitz.

"It wasn't until the symptoms began to get in the way of my 1976 Olympic broadcasting career in Montreal, which was four years after retirement that I suspected something more serious must be happening." He has also reported having high cholesterol and other chronic health issues. [45] "People don't believe that I have high cholesterol, but it's a fact," said Spitz. "I take medication every day because my doctor told me that diet and exercise are not enough to keep my cholesterol down. He is a paid spokesperson for Medco, a pharmacy benefit management company." [46] Olympic controversies Edit In 1972, Spitz was accused of product placement during the medal ceremony. Following the 200-meter freestyle race Spitz arrived to obtain his gold medal barefoot and carrying his shoes. He put them down when the American national anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner" was played. After the anthem played, he picked up his shoes and waved to the crowd. The Soviets saw this as product placement. When questioned by the IOC, Spitz explained that the gesture was innocent, the shoes were old and he was not paid. The IOC cleared him of any wrongdoing.

[47] Issues with 2008 Summer Olympics Edit Spitz felt snubbed by not being asked to attend the 2008 Olympics to watch Michael Phelps attempt to break his seven gold medal record. In an article, he is quoted as saying, "I never got invited. You don't go to the Olympics just to say, I am going to go. Especially because of who I am....I am going to sit there and watch Michael Phelps break my record anonymously? That's almost demeaning to me. It is not almost—it is." [34] Spitz has stated that he has no hard feelings towards Phelps. He is, however, unhappy that he was not invited to the 2008 Summer Olympics. As a result, Spitz refused to attend the games. [48] "They voted me one of the top five Olympians of all time. Some of them are dead. But they invited the other ones to go to the Olympics, but not me," he said.

"Yes, I am a bit upset about it." [49] However, on August 14, 2008 Spitz appeared on NBC's Today Show where he clarified his statement and his pride in Michael Phelps: "It’s about time that somebody else takes the throne. And I’m very happy for him. I really, truly am...I was working with a corporate sponsor who elected not to bring their US contingent over to China, and they piled on more work for me here in the United States, which was great. So I wasn't able to get to the Olympics and watch Michael in the first couple of days. And they thought, some of these reporters, that I was supposed to be invited by some entity, and I told them that that wasn't really the case, that doesn't happen that way.

And so, I'm sort of disappointed that I wasn't there, but, you know, that interview somehow took a different turn, and I've done hundreds and hundreds of them and I've been true to form about the way I feel about Michael, and he's doing a great job for the United States and inspiring a lot of great performances by the other team members." [50] Also on August 14, 2008, in an interview aired on Los Angeles KNBC-4's morning news show, Today in L.A., Spitz was quoted saying he does believe that, "Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympic athlete ever." [51] On August 15, 2008, as part of an interview on NBC, Spitz said that he felt Phelps' performance in the 100 fly in Beijing was "epic".

Spitz paid this compliment to Phelps just two hours after his record-tying seventh gold medal during a live joint interview with Bob Costas: "You know, Bob and Michael, I wondered what I was going to say at this monumental time, when it would happen and who I would say it to, and of course I thought I was going to say it to you for some time now. But, it's the word that comes to mind, "epic". What you did tonight was epic, and it was epic for the whole world to see how great you really are. I never thought for one moment that you were out of that race and contention, because I watched you at Athens win the race by similar margins, and 18 months ago at the World's by similar margins. And, you know, that is a tribute to your greatness. And now the whole world knows. We are so proud of you Michael here in America, and we are so proud of you and the way that you handle yourself, and you represent such an inspiration to all the youngsters around the world.

You know, you weren't born when I did what I did, and I'm sure that I was a part of your inspiration, and I take that as a full compliment. And they say that you judge one's character by the company you keep, and I'm happy to keep company with you. And you have a tremendous responsibility for all those people that you are going to inspire over the next number of years, and I know that you will wear the crown well. Congratulations, Mike." [52] Views on drug testing Edit Mark Spitz has been consistent in criticism of both swimming's world bodies, FINA and the IOC, in their incomplete attempts to keep drugs out of the sport. He has felt that not enough has been done to monitor and encourage drug-free participation. In 1998 he criticized FINA for its "embarrassing" attempts to stamp out drug abuse, urging them to test for all known drugs. In September 1999 Spitz said the IOC had the technology to test for a plethora of drugs but was refusing to do so because of some IOC member protests.

[53] During a radio interview in Australia, Spitz was quoted as saying "They don't want to test for everything because there's tremendous pressure from the television networks because they want the television to have athletic competitions with the world record holders there for the finals. They want the medals not to be tainted in their value of accomplishment by winning them, and it's all about ratings and commercial selling of time and about money. And an International Olympic Committee has got their hand in the pockets of the network television people, so there's a tremendous conflict of interest in what they should do and what they're doing." [54] In August 2008 the Los Angeles Times reported, that Spitz continued to discuss drug testing and was saying "the IOC has sponsors who demand a good show. Television pays the IOC for the rights to that good show, and its sponsors want that too. Drug news and drug distractions are not a good show. People are not going to tune in to see athletes have their medals taken away from them." [55] Records Mark Spitz, then - Famous American Olympic athletes: Where are they now? - Pictures - CBS News Famous American Olympic athletes: Where are they now?

Next Memorable American Olympians The Rio Olympics will send a new generation of athletes into the record books and the headlines. Ever wonder what's become of some of the most memorable U.S. athletes from past Olympics? Check out what these Olympic stars have been up to since the days when they set records, defied expectations and changed the games forever. Pictured: Carl Lewis of Team USA flies through the air on his way to a gold medal in the long jump competition at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Credit: Getty Images Nancy Kerrigan, then Kerrigan won the bronze medal in figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics. In 1994, Kerrigan was the victim of an attack later connected to associates of rival skater Tonya Harding. She was clubbed in the knee and had to miss the U.S. national championships, but still made the Olympic team. Kerrigan went on to win the silver medal that year. Credit: Pascal Rondeau/ALLSPORT via Getty Images Nancy Kerrigan, now Kerrigan has competed in Ice Wars, a team figure skating competition, and performed in ice shows. She has also appeared in the comedy Blades of Glory and worked as a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.

Credit: Getty Images Tonya Harding, then Harding, the first woman to complete the notoriously difficult triple axel jump, finished fourth at the 1992 Olympics. She's best known for pleading guilty to knowledge of her husband and bodyguard's plan to break Kerrigan's leg to prevent her from competing in the Olympics. Credit: Vincent Amalvy/Getty Images Tonya Harding, now Banned for life from the U.S. Figure Skating Association after the 1994 Olympics, Harding was forced to pursue a different career: She was a professional boxer from 2002 to 2004. Today, she's married and raising her first child. Credit: Al Bello, Getty Images Kerri Strug, then In 1996, a U.S. gymnastics team known as "the Magnificent Seven" stormed the games. Strug was a part of that team, and famously competed with an injured ankle. With encouragement from famed coach Béla Károlyi, Strug landed on both feet after performing a vault with that bad ankle. Though she immediately collapsed, her incredible performance helped win a gold medal for the women's gymnastics team.

In this photo, Károlyi carries an injured Strug to the podium for the medal ceremony. Credit: IOP/AFP/Getty Images Kerri Strug, now Since her historic performance, Strug has worked as a staff assistant in the Presidential Student Correspondence office at the White House and covered gymnastics for Yahoo!. Today, she is married and lives in Arizona. Credit: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images Greg Louganis, then Louganis earned a spot in sports history when he won gold medals in springboard and platform diving competitions at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. Credit: Pascal Rondeau/Getty Images Greg Louganis, now Louganis was diagnosed with HIV before the 1988 Olympics, but he didn't publicly discuss it until 1995. Since then, Louganis has vocally supported gay rights and HIV awareness. He also published a well-received autobiography, "Breaking the Surface." Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images Tommie Smith, then Smith won the gold medal in the 1968 Olympics for the 200-meter dash. He's equally famous for his Black Power salute at the awards ceremony, joined by bronze medal winner John Carlos.

Credit: Getty Images Tommie Smith, now Though Smith received death threats and was banned from the Olympics after his controversial gesture at the awards ceremony, the moment became a symbolic milestone in civil rights history. Since then, Smith has since worked as a track coach and a sociology professor. Smith (left) and Carlos (right) won the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPYs in 2008. Credit: Kevin Winter, Getty Images Michelle Kwan, then This beloved figure skater won the silver medal at the 1998 Olympics and the bronze at the 2006 Olympics. Credit: Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images Michelle Kwan, now Kwan never officially retired. Instead, she shifted focus toward her education, enrolling in an undergraduate program at the University of Denver and pursuing a masters in law and diplomacy at Tufts University. Today, Kwan works for the U.S. Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. Credit: Getty Images Carl Lewis, then He's one of the most famous Olympic track and field athletes ever, having set the records for the 100-meter and 200-meter sprinting events and the long jump.

In total, Carl Lewis won nine gold medals between 1984 and 1996. Credit: Gray Mortimore/Getty Images Carl Lewis, now Lewis has been named World Athlete of the Century by the International Association of Athletics Federation and Sportsman of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. He has made movie and TV appearances and run for a a seat in the New Jersey Senate in 2011, though he was unsuccessful. Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images Jackie Joyner-Kersee, then Joyner-Kersee was voted the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century by Sports Illustrated for Women. She's competed in four Olympics from 1984 to 1996, winning three gold medals, one silver and two bronze in the heptathlon and the long jump. Credit: Tony Duffy/Getty Images Jackie Joyner-Kersee, now Since her 1996 Olympic appearance, Joyner-Kersee played basketball for the Richmond Rage in the American Basketball League, a professional women's basketball league that went bankrupt in 1998. She also co-founded Athletes for Hope, a charity dedicated to connecting fellow athletes with needy non-profits.

Credit: Jemal Countess/Getty Images Muhammad Ali, then Three-time world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali is considered one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. It was his victory in the 1960 Olympics in the heavyweight division that made 18-year-old, then known as Cassius Clay, an international star. Credit: AFP/Getty Images Muhammad Ali, 1942-2016 Ali spent the years after his retirement from the ring focusing on peace activism and humanitarian causes. After suffering from Parkinson's for many years, the beloved boxer passed away on June 3, 2016. Credit: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images for Starkey Hearing Misty May-Treanor, then May-Treanor is one of the most successful beach volleyball players ever: Along with teammate Kerri Walsh Jennings, May-Treanor won Olympic gold medals in 2004, 2008 and 2012. Credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Misty May-Treanor, now After retiring in 2012, May-Treanor completed a graduate degree program in coaching.

She's also working to get families to be more active with a video series called "Full-Life Hacks," as well as spending time with her daughter. Credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for USOC Michael Jordan, then With an incredible NBA career that spanned over fifteen seasons and two teams, Jordan is considered the best basketball player of all time. He won Olympic gold medals in 1984 and again in 1992, when he was part of the "Dream Team" that also included superstars Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen and David Robinson. Credit: Karl Mathis/Getty Images Michael Jordan, now Since his retirement in 2003, Jordan bought a majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets. Thanks to endorsement deals and the success of Air Jordans, Jordan has achieved huge, lasting financial success. In 2015, Forbes calculated that Jordan is worth more than $1 billion. Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images Lisa Leslie, then Leslie has won four Olympic gold medals playing for the U.S. women's basketball team in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008.

She played for the Los Angeles Sparks for 11 seasons. Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images Lisa Leslie, now Since retiring from professional basketball in 2009, Lisa Leslie was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Leslie also has pursued an acting career, appearing in the movie "Think Like A Man" and various TV shows. Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Mark Spitz, then Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at the 1968 Olympics -- a record that stood for 40 years until Michael Phelps topped it with eight gold medals in 2008. Spitz won two more golds at the 1972 Olympics and set world records in seven different swimming events. Credit: Tony Duffy, Getty Images Mark Spitz, now Spitz retired from competitive swimming in 1972, but attempted to make a comeback in 1992, though he failed to qualify for the Olympics. He appeared on a number of TV shows and covered the 1976 and 1984 Olympic games. Today, Spitz runs a real estate company in Beverly Hills.

Credit: Kevin Lee, Getty Images for Laureus Michael Johnson, then The only male athlete to win the 200- and 400-meter dash competitions in the same Olympics, Michael Johnson is a record-breaking American sprinter. He has four Olympic gold medals. Credit: Simon Bruty, Getty Images Michael Johnson, now After the 2000 Olympics, Johnson worked as a BBC commentator and started his own sports management company, which manages other Olympic athletes. He also released a documentary called "Survival of the Fastest" about African-American runners. Credit: Getty Images Bruce Jenner, then In 1976, Bruce Jenner was hailed as "the world's greatest athlete" after winning a gold medal in the Decathlon at the Olympics. The record-breaking performance made Jenner America's golden boy, famously appearing on the Wheaties cereal box. Credit: Tony Duffy, Getty Images Caitlyn Jenner, now In 2015, Jenner went public as transgender and changed her name to Caitlyn Jenner .

She recently starred in a documentary series called "I Am Cait," after many years on the reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." Credit: Kevin Winter, Getty Images CBSNews.com ESPN.com: Spitz lived up to enormous expectations Spitz lived up to enormous expectations By M.B. Roberts Special to ESPN.com Mark Spitz, considered the swiftest swimmer of all time, made his big splash during the 1972 Olympics, becoming the first athlete to win seven gold medals in an Olympiad. His performances were even more remarkable considering world records were set in all seven events. Mark Spitz nearly mastered swimming's most difficult stroke, the butterfly. Fulfilling all the pre-Olympic hype, he won four individual events -- in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle and 100- and 200-meter butterfly -- and three relay races. After his Munich triumph, Spitz was bombarded with endorsement offers. He soon came to be known more as a good-looking, mustachioed pitchman than for his signature butterfly stroke. He made some $7 million in two years.

Despite the efforts of his agent and public-relations firm, his desired post-Olympics Hollywood career floundered as critics panned Spitz's performances on TV shows and commercials. It seemed he was criticized in his post-Olympic life as much as he was cheered. But controversy was nothing new. It surrounded Spitz almost from the time he plugged his nose and jumped in a pool. He was born on Feb. 10, 1950, in Modesto, Cal. When he was two years old, his family moved to Hawaii, where his father Arnold taught him to swim. After four years in Hawaii, the family returned to California -- Sacramento this time -- and at the YMCA Spitz received his first competitive instruction. At age nine, his dad took him to Arden Hills Swim Club to train under the celebrated Sherm Chavoor, who would be a life-long mentor to Spitz. Arnold Spitz often told his son, "Swimming isn't everything; winning is." By age 10, Spitz held 17 national age-group and one world record. He was named the world's best 10-and-under swimmer.

When he was 14, his father said, "It's now or never." The family moved to Santa Clara so Spitz could train with George Haines of the famed Santa Clara Swim Club, despite Arnold having to commute more than 80 miles to work each day. Spitz continued to excel, especially in swimming's most difficult stroke: the butterfly. At 16, he won the 100-meter butterfly at the National AAU Championships, the first of his 24 AAU titles. The next year, 1967, he won five gold medals at the Pan-American Games in Winnipeg. He was expected to win several individual gold medals at the 1968 Olympics, having already set 10 world records. The controversy came when Spitz himself, sounding brash and cocky, predicted he would win six golds. He did not. In Mexico City, Spitz won two team golds -- in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 200-meter freestyle relays -- and two individual medals, silver in the 100-meter butterfly and bronze in the 100-meter freestyle.

What would have been a triumph to most was a disappointment to Spitz. He re-dedicated himself to swimming, and left for Indiana University to train with legendary coach Doc Counsilman, who was also his coach in Mexico City. A pre-dental student, Spitz continued to accumulate awards, medals and world records in swimming. He won eight individual NCAA titles. In 1971, he won the Sullivan Award as the country's top amateur athlete. He was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1969, 1971 and 1972. In 1972, after graduating from Indiana, he was prepared for the Olympics. His first race in Munich was the 200-meter butterfly. When Spitz touched the wall to win in 2:00.7, he leaped out of the water, his arms held high. Even more exciting, though, was his next event: the 200-meter freestyle. Spitz won in 1:52.78, defeating his teammate, Steve Genter, who had been released from the hospital only the day before following surgery for a collapsed lung.

Later, on the medal stand, Spitz arrived barefoot, carrying his shoes. He dropped them to the side while "The Star Spangled Banner" played. Then he reached down to pick up his shoes and waved them to the cheering crowd. The Soviets accused him of blatant commercialism. Maintaining the gesture was innocent, the shoes were old and he wasn't paid, Spitz was cleared by an IOC committee. ZONE POLL He shook off the medal-stand incident and won his next event, the 100-meter butterfly (his favorite), by a full body length in 54.27 seconds. But controversy returned when Spitz was rumored to be pulling out of the 100 freestyle. Despite fears that teammate Jerry Heidenreich could spoil his gold-medal sweep, Spitz did race. He won the gold, finishing a half-stroke ahead of Heidenreich in 51:22 seconds.

Spitz's three team golds came in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay (3:26:42), the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay (7:35.78) and the 4 x 100-meter medley relay (3:48.16). Then tragedy struck. At 4:30 a.m. September 5, Palestinian terrorists broke into the athletes' compound, killing two members of the Israeli delegation and taking nine others hostage. Spitz, who had won his final medal only hours earlier, lay sleeping nearby. In the morning Spitz attended a press conference, flanked by coaches and German police. "I think the murders in the village are very tragic," he said. "I have no further comment." Spitz, who is Jewish, was understandably nervous. He left for London immediately, before the closing ceremonies. Spitz was criticized for discussing his movie career while the nine hostages were still held. (Tragically, they were killed in an attempted rescue). Despite some negative press, Spitz received a hero's welcome at home. He quit swimming, shelved plans for dental school and sorted through his numerous endorsement offers.

His agent said Spitz was the greatest hero since Lindbergh and one of two people whose name everyone in the U.S. knew (the other being President Nixon). He signed Spitz as a spokesperson for the Schick Company, the California Milk Advisory Board, adidas, Speedo and countless other companies making everything from swimming pools to men's underwear. A poster featuring Spitz wearing his swimsuit and seven gold medals made him the hottest pin-up since Betty Grable. Despite worldwide female admiration, Spitz called and began dating the daughter of one of his father's business acquaintances after seeing her picture. Less than a year after Munich, Spitz and Suzy Weiner, a UCLA theater student and part-time model, were married. His showbiz career was not so storybook. Spitz's performances on a Bob Hope special, Sonny & Cher, Johnny Carson and many others were bland. Hollywood quit calling. Even commercial clients backed off. He continued as a broadcaster for some time, but within a few years, he had all but vanished as a public figure. Spitz amused himself with his new hobby: sailing. He eventually began a successful real-estate company in Beverly Hills.

People always asked him, "Do you still swim?" Remarkably, the answer most of the time was "no." But in 1989 at age 39, at 6-foot-1 and 182 pounds (eight pounds heavier and 17 years older than in 1972), he began training for the 1992 Olympic Trials. His event was the 100-meter butterfly. Although his 1972 records had long been broken, he was encouraged because he had beaten then-record holder Rowdy Gaines in a series of races in 1984. In 1991, a mustache-less Spitz raced Olympians Tom Jager and Matt Biondi in separate 50-meter butterfly races on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Spitz lost both. He also failed to qualify for the 1992 Olympics. His best time was 58:03; he needed 55:59. Spitz still lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. He enjoys sailing and traveling. Having given up his real-estate business, he considers himself an "entrepreneur" and continues to do promotional work.

Mark Spitz & the Olympics Mark Spitz & the Olympics Mark Spitz The 1972 Olympic games which took place in Munich, Germany are known in sports history for two reasons. First, because 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists and second, because the American Jewish swimmer Mark Spitz won seven gold medals. The attack on the Israeli athletes took place only a few hours after Spitz had won his last medal. It was at 4:30 in the morning on the fifth of September 1972 when the Arab terrorists knocked on the door of the Israeli wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg. When Weinberg opened the door, he and Joseph Romano, a weight lifter, were shot and killed by the terrorists. A few hours later the murderers demanded the release of 200 prisoners from Israeli jails because they had rounded up nine Israeli athletes whom they promised to kill if their demands were not met. The Germans attempted to kill the terrorists. In the course of the fighting which then ensued, all the Israeli hostages were killed. Thereupon the Germans capitulated and let the terrorists go. However, Israel sent an assassination squad to track them down.

That squad succeeded in killing eight of the 11 men involved in this massacre. A ninth terrorist died of natural causes and two were evidently assassinated, but it is not known whether this was done by Israeli agents or someone else. As soon as the cold-blooded terrorist murders became known, American security guards surrounded Spitz and removed him from Germany, fearing that the Arab terrorists would try to kill him also because he is a Jew. Spitz's achievement was indeed stunning. He won four individual events, the 100 and 200 m freestyle and 100 and 200 m butterfly, and then won three relay races as well. Spitz won in phenomenal times. His first race was the 200 m butterfly, in which he touched the wall in 2:00.7. His next event, the 200 m freestyle, was even more exciting. He won that in 1:52.78. Thereafter he succeeded in the 100 m butterfly in 54.27 seconds and then in 51:22 seconds he also won the 100 m freestyle. More recently, these world records in swimming have been overcome.

For example the Dutch swimmer van den Hoganband swam the 100 m freestyle in only 47.84 seconds in the last Olympics, in which the Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe did the 200 m freestyle in 1:44:06. At the time the achievement of Spitz was immense and continues to be so today. On returning home to California he was bombarded with endorsement offers. This allowed him to earn more than $7 million in two years. With this money he entered the real estate business, having first tried a movie career, which failed. In 1973 Mark Spitz married Susie Weiner, with whom he has two sons. Mark Spitz was 22 years old at the time of his great victories. In that year he had already accumulated 23 world swimming records and 35 United States records. Included were two gold, one silver and one bronze medal which he won in the 1968 Olympics when he was only 18 years old. Even at age 15 Spitz won four gold medals at the Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, where he was declared the most outstanding athlete.

At age 16 Mark Spitz won the 100 m butterfly at the national AAU championships, the first of his 24 AAU titles. Mark Spitz's parents were Lenore and Arnold Spitz. Although natives of California, he lived in Honolulu, Hawaii for a time. There Mark swam at Waikiki Beach every day when he was only two and three years old. Because his father was a wealthy steel executive, he was able to enroll Mark with George Haines, the famous Santa Clara swim club coach. When he reached college age Mark Spitz went to Indiana University where he trained with the great coach Doc Counsilman. Spitz graduated from Indiana U. in 1972 in time to attend the Olympic Games. One year earlier he was named World Smimmer of the year for the third time. In 1989 when he was 39 years old, Mark Spitz began training for the 1992 Olympic tryouts. At that time the 6'1" Spitz weighed 185 pounds. However, he failed to qualify for the 1992 Olympics as his best time failed to meet the competition. One thing is certain, however.

The name of Mark Spitz is now and always will be an ornament to American sports history and a source of pride to the Jewish community. May he live to 120 years. Shalom uï¿½vracha. Mark Spitz | Jewish Virtual Library Tweet Mark Spitz is a Jewish American swimmer and eleven-time Olympic medalist, including a then-record seven golds at the 1972 games. Mark Spitz has won seven gold medals and established many world records for swimming. At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich , Germany, terrorists murdered eleven Israeli athletes and the world was elated over Spitz's achievements in swimming and simultaneously stunned and angered by the cold-blooded murder of the Jewish athletes . At those Munich summer games, American security guards quickly formed a shield of protection around Spitz since they were fearful that the terrorists might strike at him because he is Jewish. Spitz was angry and saddened by the loss of the Israeli athletes. However, he was too stunned and protected to do anything symbolic against the terrorists. Spitz was the oldest of three children and was born on February 10, 1950.

His parents, Lenore and Arnold Spitz, introduced him to swimming as soon as he could walk. When he was two years old, his father, a steel company executive, was transferred to Honolulu, Hawaii. Spitz swam at Waikiki Beach every day. "You should have seen that little boy dash into the ocean. He'd run like he was trying to commit suicide." Lenore Spitz told a reporter for TIME (April 12, 1968). After a few years. the family moved back to California. Spitz's father was always teaching him about the importance of being first. At the age of 15, at the Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv in August 1965, Spitz won four gold medals and was named the most outstanding athlete. This was the beginning of his long list of victories. By the spring of 1972. Spitz had set 23 world swimming records and 3 5 United States records. He won two gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal in the 1968 Olympics. Many expected him to do better, but a bad cold had prevented him from doing so.

Spitz set his first world record in June of 1967 at a small swim meet in California. He swam the 400 meter free-style in four minutes, 10 and six-tenths seconds. After this meet, he went on to other meets. His list of swim records became larger and larger. Spitz won his first gold medal in the 200 meter butterfly in two minutes and seven-tenths of a second for a world record at the Munich Olympic Games on August 28. 1972. That same night, lie won a second gold medal when his team established a. world record for the 400 meter free-style relay The following day, he won his third gold medal. Again, he established a world record when he swam the 200 meter free-style in one minute and 52.78 seconds. He swam the 100 meter butterfly in 54.27 seconds to earn a world record and a gold medal on September 1. He then went on to anchor the United States 800 meter free-style relay team to victory for another gold medal.

He won the 100 meter free-style in 51.22 seconds and swam the butterfly leg on the victorious United States team in the 400 meter medley relay for his seventh gold medal on September 3. He set another world record with his seven gold medals when he surpassed the record held by Italian fencer Nedo Nadi, who had won five Olympic gold medals in 1920. After the '72 Olympics, Spitz started making movies and commercials and later went into business. He lives in California with wife Suzy and their son. Sources: Photo from Mark Spitz official website ; This biography is one of the 150 illustrated true stories of American heroism included in Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America : 150 True Stories of American Jewish Heroism , ï¿½ 1996, written by Seymour "Sy" Brody of Delray Beach, Florida, illustrated by Art Seiden of Woodmere, New York, and published by Lifetime Books, Inc., Hollywood, FL.

Question: At the 1968 Olympics, how many gold medals were won by Mark Spitz?
Answer: 2